


Vulpine Tendencies

by SapphireBlueJiyuu



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Domestic, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Family Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-17
Updated: 2014-06-17
Packaged: 2018-02-05 00:48:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1799359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SapphireBlueJiyuu/pseuds/SapphireBlueJiyuu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <span class="small">fic inspired by this gif [ <a href="http://qzfwq3rieno15cw5madptxpgi.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/tumblr_n1a2jxW9xn1qhry21o1_400.gif">x</a> ] Happy Father's Day, yal.</span>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	Vulpine Tendencies

"Hi, daddy!" Cassie's sweet voice was like a bell that rang through the empty walls in the cockles of his heart. Grant offered his little girl a small smile as she eagerly climbed up into the backseat of the family sedan after Skye opened the door for her. A year ago when Grant installed the larger car-seat into the back, Cassie had insisted that she could get herself situated in her new "big girl" car-seat and, since then, had been adamant about helping herself do everything. 

"Have you thanked Auntie Skye for looking after you today?" Cassie nodded as she took a generous gulp of her apple juice from her sippy-cup he handed her. Grant turned back to Skye and sighed, "She wasn't too much of a handful was she?"

Skye snorted. "Are you kidding me? She's easier to deal with than both you and Jemma on a good day!" The young agent teased before turning to the little girl in the back. "We had  _a lot_  of fun today didn't we?"

Cassie gave a great big grin and gleefully exclaimed, "We're  _partners_ , Daddy!"

Skye turned back to Ward and smiled proudly, "I taught her a new word."

Her former S.O. narrowed his eyes at her, not liking this one bit, especially when he looked at his daughter in the rear-view mirror and saw her grinning at Skye in the most cunning manner. 

This did not bode well for the ex-specialist. He could smell conspiracy like a dog can sniff out drugs. “What kind of “bad girl shenanigans” did you get my daughter involved in, Skye?” Grant grounded out, borrowing his wife's well used title for her friend. He knew that Skye would never purposefully put his little girl in harms way, but the younger agent tend to have a blurred sense of morality.

“Relax, T-1000. We just left a little present for Uncle Leo for when he gets home.” She murmured, winking at Cassie, as the little Ward giggled uncontrollably in her car-seat.

Grant simply shook his head as he put the car in reverse, conceding to let the subject go. “I don't even want to know. I will not be an accessory to what ever crimes you've cooked up.”

Skye grinned mischievously. “Exactly! Ignorance is bliss, Ward.”

* * * * * * *

As they drove up their street, Grant could see their porch from the street corner and had to suppress a groan as he saw their new neighbor and Jemma talking at the front door.

To say that Charles Brocker was Grant's least favorite person in the city would be the understatement of the century.

The man was a young, decent looking bachelor who worked as a music producer and had just bought the house across the ways from theirs for his parents. He would come and visit them every week. And every week he would make it a point to stop by and talk to Jemma, much to Grant's chagrin.

It wasn't that Grant was opposed to Jemma having male friends (demanding something like that was demeaning by principle) because Jemma's best friend was male but Charles always was a little to comfortable with calling her “Jem” and casually touching her arm or her shoulder. Charles had also made a habit of coming around when Grant wasn't there and it irked him to no end.

And Jemma, bless her soul, never thought anything of it.

He had never brought it up to Jemma because he thought that maybe he was over thinking things but today's appearance of the “talented” Mr. Brocker only proved to grate at his nerves to no end.

There was one person who did notice though.

* * * * * *

Cassie sat in the backseat and watched as her father tensed up. He was always like that whenever Mr. B was around. Sure enough, when she pressed her face up against the glass window of the car, she saw Mr. B talking and talking with her Momma, who was holding a large plume of flowers in her arms.

Mr. B was nice enough to Cassie but she didn't like the way the man made her Daddy feel. Seeing the man in the light blue suit leaning in and whispering something to her mother, made Cassie uneasy for reasons which she could not pinpoint.

She was sure that her Daddy was feeling the same way if that scary look he was making was any indication. “Daddy?” Cassie asked tentatively.

He snapped out of his reverie and gave his daughter a tight grin. “Let's go say 'hi' to Mommy before we take Hodgkin for his walk.”

Cassie thought back to what Auntie Skye taught her today about looking after those we love and punishing those who hurt those who we love. “I've got your Uncle Leo's back. That's what it means to be a partner.”

And with the way, Grant shook Mr. B's hand Cassie figured someone needs to have Daddy's back. After she kisses her mother on the cheek, Cassie run in to find Hodgkin – a two year old Samoyed puppy they rescued from the shelter just a few months earlier – and begins to plot with him on “Operation: Mr. B's Present”.

* * * * * *

The next morning, Grant woke up to the sound of the master bedroom opening and the soft padding of Cassie's footfalls. A few moments later, he could feel his daughter's presence in front of him which was followed by a whisper, “Daddy?” Cassie asked tentatively, “Are you awake?”

Cracking an eye open, Grant saw that she was still in her pajama, bouncing from one foot to another. “What's the matter, princess? Do you need to go potty?”

Cassie shook her head negatively and grabbed his arm. “Daddy, come to the living room.”

Grant furrowed his brows at that. “Why, what's the matter?”

His daughter gave an exasperated sigh – which Grant found absolutely precious because it reminded him so much of Jemma – before simply tugging his arm. “No time. Come on!” She whispered.

Shrugging, Grant allowed his daughter to guide him out of the bedroom and downstairs into the living room, where Hodgkin was looking out the window, his tail wagging happily.

“What is it–”

“Shhh! It's starting.” Cassie whispered before turning her attention out the window staring at the Brocker's house across the street, as though they were waiting for a show to begin.

When nothing was happening, Grant was about to go back into bed when the front door opened and out came Charles Brocker who took one step out the threshold and began cursing up a storm, which could be heard clear across the street.

Cassie burst into a fit of uncontrollable laughter, clutching her stomach as Hodgkin panted excitedly next to her. Grant raised an eyebrow at the situation and was absolutely lost, the joke going right over his head.

“Okay, princess, I give. What did I just watch happen?” Grant asked.

There was a twinkle in Cassie's eyes (similar to that of her mother's when she was teasing Grant or when she was about to win yet another round of Scrabble) that made Grant very nervous. His daughter stood up on the couch and motioned for him to lean down so that she could whisper her plan into his ear.

When she was finished, he pulled away, trying to process what she had just revealed and made a mental note to have Cassie spend less time with Skye.

Because her plan was diabolical and perfect.

Poor Mr. B had no idea that Cassie and Hodgkin had left a very large pile of puppy poop on his door step when he was about to walk out to pick up his morning paper.

Her face was filled with mirth as she said with great satisfaction, “Daddy, I've got your back.”

Grant knew that he should scold his daughter for what she did – because it wasn't a very nice thing to do – but, at the moment, he could almost burst with pride. Scooping his daughter up into his arms, Grant planted kisses all over her face as she giggled, saying that his short cropped beard was tickling her.

“What's this? Hmm?” Jemma's voice came from the stairs as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. When she walked into the living room and took in the scene in front of her, Jemma raised an inquisitive eyebrow, carefully asking, “What are you devious duo doing up so early?”

Grant and Cassie exchanged looks before he turned to his wife and borrowed Skye's words: “Ignorance is bliss.”


End file.
